String Theory - Determinate or Indeterminate?

[lmerriam]

A fundamental difference between classical and quantum mechanics is that the former is deterministic; the latter, probabilistic. I'm wondering where string theory fits into this picture? Is the landscape described by string theory determinate or indeterminate?
Along the same lines, classical and quantum randomness are fundamentally different: the outcome of the former, e.g. a coin toss, is potentially predictable (given sufficient information), while the latter, e.g. when a single radioactive particle will undergo decay, is utterly unpredictable -- not just in practice, but in principle. Does the concept of randomness even enter into the formalism of string theory? And, if so, how? TIA

 

[AndyW]

Thank you for your thought-provoking post. I am always excited to discuss the fascinating concepts of classical and quantum mechanics, and how they relate to string theory.

Firstly, let me clarify that string theory is a theoretical framework that aims to unite the principles of classical and quantum mechanics, as well as Einstein's theory of general relativity. It is not a complete theory in and of itself, but rather a candidate for a theory of everything that can explain all physical phenomena in the universe.

Now, to address your questions about determinism and randomness in string theory. The short answer is that string theory does not fit neatly into either category. In fact, it offers a new perspective on the concept of determinism and randomness.

In classical mechanics, the behavior of a system is entirely determined by its initial conditions, and its future states can be predicted with certainty. On the other hand, in quantum mechanics, the behavior of a system is described by a wave function, which gives the probability of finding the system in a particular state. This means that the outcome of a measurement is inherently uncertain.

In string theory, the behavior of a system is described by strings, which are one-dimensional objects that vibrate at different frequencies. These vibrations give rise to the particles and forces that we observe in the universe. The behavior of strings is governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, but at the same time, they also exhibit some features of classical mechanics.

One key concept in string theory is the idea of duality, which suggests that seemingly different theories can be equivalent descriptions of the same physical system. This means that there can be multiple ways to describe the same phenomenon, and the choice of description is not unique. This introduces a level of indeterminacy in the theory.

Moreover, string theory also introduces the concept of a landscape, which refers to the vast number of possible solutions or configurations of strings that can exist in our universe. This landscape is not deterministic, as there are multiple possible outcomes for any given scenario.

In terms of randomness, string theory does not have a concept of randomness in the traditional sense. However, the indeterminacy and non-uniqueness of the theory can be seen as a form of randomness. Additionally, the concept of quantum entanglement, which is a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics, also plays a role in string theory and can lead to seemingly random outcomes.

In conclusion, string theory offers a unique perspective on the concepts of